te extraño
/te eɡstɾaɲo/from spelling rules
In Spanish, there are different ways to say "I miss you" depending on the region. The default form is te extraño. Wiktionary also lists te echo de menos.
Meaning: I miss you (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| te extraño | /te eɡstɾaɲo/ (from spelling rules) |
| te echo de menos | /te ˌet͡ʃo de ˈmenos/ |
Both te extraño and te echo de menos are used to express the feeling of missing someone.
Which one should you use?
Te extraño is the most common way to express this in Latin America, while te echo de menos is the most common way to say it in Spain.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Te echo de menos is a variation used in Spain. Te extraño un montón. is used in various Latin American countries.
How do you pronounce it?
/te eɡstɾaɲo/
Did you know?
- The phrase te echo de menos contains the verb echar, which literally means 'to throw' or 'to cast'.
- A common spelling mistake for native speakers is writing hecho instead of echo. While hecho means 'done' or 'fact', the he is dropped in the phrase te echo de menos.
- The word extraño is a cognate of the English word 'strange'. While 'I miss you' is the common meaning here, extraño on its own still means 'strange' or 'odd'.
Examples in context
- Te echo de menos.I miss you.This sentence shows the use of te echo de menos.Tatoeba #454574 by Shishir, translation #1308 by brauliobezerra
- Tom, te echo de menos.I miss you, Tom.This sentence shows how to use te echo de menos when addressing someone by name.Tatoeba #2011041 by Shishir, translation #1887572 by CK
- Te extraño cuando no estás acá.I miss you when you're not here.This sentence shows the use of te extraño.Tatoeba #1646718 by hayastan, translation #1329779 by CK
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are talking on a video call.
- SofíaHola, Mateo, te extraño mucho.Hello, Mateo, I miss you a lot.
- MateoYo también te extraño, Sofía.I miss you too, Sofía.
- SofíaEs difícil estar lejos de ti.It is hard to be far from you.
- MateoPronto estaremos juntos de nuevo.Soon we will be together again.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I miss you” translations and entries te echo de menos, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, echo, extraño, menos, te, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
